Automatic car-switch.



PATENTED'MAY 31, 1904.

v M. NUSS. a AUTOMATIC GAR SWITCH. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT 25 1903 no IDDEL.

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Patented. May 31, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORRIS NUSS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC CARI-SWITCH.

SPECiF ICATION'formiI g part of Letters Patent No. 761,536, dated May 31, 1904. Application filed September 25,1903. Serial Ni 174,549." (No modem.

To alll'whom; it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS Nuss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia,and State of Pennsylvaniafhave invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Car-Switches, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates'to a new and useful improvement in automatic car-switches, and has for its object to provide a switch which may be operated in advance of the car electrically.

With this end in View this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

' Inorderthat those skilled in the -art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the con-' struction and'operation will nowbe described in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car, showing my device applied to the system; Fig. 2, a plan view of a portion of a track-and switch, showing mydevice applied thereto. Fig. '3 is a vertical section through the case containing the operating mechanism and showing the electrical connections in diagram; Fig. 4,2; vertical section through the casing containing the operating mechanism, taken at right angles to that of Fig. 3.

A represents contact-rollers dependingfrom the car, and each of these rollers is connected to different buttons on a switchboard B, arranged upon the platform of the car.

0 is a movable switch adapted to contact one or the other of the buttons, and this switch is in permanent electrical connection with the trolley. I

D represents two short rails arranged a slight distance in advance of the switch and insulated from the ground. The contact-rollers A are adapted to come in contact with these rails. U

E is a casing 1 arranged at one side of the track .opposite the switch, and contained in this casing is a motor F, which is connected through a suitable gearing G with a disk H.

. Tie a link connected eccentrically with this disk, and this link isconnected through a system of levers J with a movable member K of the track-switch. Thus when (the disk H is revolved one-half of one revolution it will move themember K in one direction, and on completing the revolution the member K will be moved in the opposite direction.

L represents two semicircular contact-strips arranged upon each side of the disk H concentric therewith, but out of contact with the disk. These two strips are also out of contact with one another. One of the strips L is connected to one of the rails D, and the other strip is electricallyconnected with the other rail.

M is a contact carried by the disk H, and when the diskH revolves this contact is adapted to come in contact withone or the other of the strips L. This contact is connected with one-of the terminals of the motor, the other,

terminal of the motor being connected with the ground.

The operation ofthe device isas follows:

When the car approaches the switch and the motorman wishes to throw the switch,he turns the electrical switch member 0 upon one of the buttons, and this will establish an electric circuit from the trolley through one of the strips L to the contact M, through the motor to the ground, and the motor will revolve as long as the contact M remains upon the strip L, and this will cause the disk to revolve onehalf of a revolution, which will throw the switch member K in the desired direction, and when the contact M is revolved beyond the strip L .the electrical connection will be broken and the motor stopped automatically; but the contact M will travel a sufiicient distance beyond the brake between the two strips L to come in contact with the opposite strip, so that when the next car approaches the switch and the motorman wishes tooperate,

the switch member K in theopposite direction he can do so by establishing; an electric circuit through the other strip L.

I am of the opinion that the motor could be so geared or friction could be applied to the same in such a manner as to cause the motor to stop almost instantly after the current has been disconnected; but if it is found in practice that the contact M would be carried too far beyond the strip L from which the current is taken brake mechanism could be applied either electrically or mechanically, so that the same would stop at the desired point.

Of course I do not Wish to be limited to the exact construction here shown, as slight modifications could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

' What I claim as new and useful is- 1. In an automatic switch for cars, a disk journaled in fixed bearings, a link connected eccentrically to said disk, said link being connected to the movable member of the trackswitch so as to operate said movable member in one direction upon a half-revolution of the circular contact-strip, and the other rail connected to the other contact-strip, a switch connected with the trolley adapted to cause the current to flow through one or the other of the rails as desired, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In an automatic car-switch, a disk journaled in fixed bearings, a link connected eccentrically to said disk, said link being connected with the removable member of the track-switch so as to operate said movable member in one direction on a half-revolution of the disk, and in the other direction when the disk completes its revolution, two semicircular contact-strips independent of one another arranged upon opposite sides of the disk and eccentric therewith, a contact-point carried by the disk adapted to revolve in contact with the strips, a motor for revolving the disk, said contact-point being connected with one brush of the motor, the other brush being connected with the ground, two rails arranged a short distance in advance of the switch and insulated from the ground, one rail electrically connected with one contactstrip, and the other rail electrically connected with the other contact-strip, two rollers depending from the car, one contacting one rail and the other contacting the other rail, an electrical switchboard carried by the car con- .taining two buttons, one button in electrical contact with one roller, and the other in electrical contact with the other roller, a movable switchboard permanently connected with the trolley so as to cause the current to flow through either one of the rails desired, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In an automatic car-switch of the character described, a track-switch provided with a movable member, a casing arranged adjacent to the track-switch, a disk journaled in the casing, a link connected eccentrically to said disk, the other end of the link being connected to the movable member of the trackswitch so as to operate said track-switch backward and forward once upon one revolution of the disk, two semicircular contact-strips independent of one another arranged upon each side of the disk and eccentric thereto, a contact-point carried by the disk adapted to revolve in contact with the strips, amotor arranged within the easing, suitable hearing between the motor and disk for revolving said disk, the contact-point upon the disk being connected to one brush of the motor, the other brush being connected with the ground, two rails arranged a short distance in advance of the switch and insulated from the ground, contacts depending from the car adapted to contact said rails, an electrical switchboard carried on the car containing two buttons connected with the contacts, a switch member connected permanently with the trolley, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affiXed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MORRIS NUSS. Witnesses:

T. A. TURNER, WVM. F. PADDOOK. 

